Chinese tire companies carry out self-tests in a wide range

Regarding the report that “the production areas of substandard products are all in China”, local authorities and companies have attached great importance, and Chinese tire companies have also invested in self-inspection of products. At present, what are the actions of the competent authorities of EU member states? How are Chinese companies self-checking? What are the countermeasures in the future? On this issue, this article interviewed Shao Yandong, head of the Industrial Products Department of Hangzhou Ruixu Product Technology Co., Ltd., which is a third-party organization for the tire PAHs testing and the China REACH Solution Center.

Reporter: Since the EU Tyre Manufacturers Association released the results of spot checks, how have EU member states reacted?

Shao Yandong: On March 1st, after the EU Tire Manufacturers Association announced the results of spot checks, the competent authorities of EU member states paid great attention to this incident and took measures in varying degrees. The British authorities were the first to respond, and the UK Environmental Agency issued an announcement on March 7, indicating that it is necessary to investigate relevant information and intends to strengthen the supervision of domestic tires. Currently, they are conducting sampling tests on tires and it is expected that there will be further regulatory actions after the official inspection results are released. However, as the EU Tire Manufacturers Association is just a private association, their spot check results do not represent the official test data of the European Union. They can only serve as official reference data. So far, there have been no large-scale recalls and other penalties and other punishments. However, there are reports that some companies' products have been temporarily retained in the EU customs, waiting for the results of spot checks.

Reporter: As the only organization in China that can provide the EU's official test methods, Rui Xu has already cooperated with many tire companies. What is the current situation of domestic companies?

Shao Yandong: From the fact that we help companies conduct inspections and understand the situation, as domestic companies have previously received a lot of investigations from EU importers, at present, most companies have organized related products to conduct self-tests, but out of cost and cycle Considering that many of the selected test methods are unofficially specified methods, the results may not be referenced. However, this incident did make Chinese tire companies more aware of the importance of responding to PAHs, and increased the requirements in terms of test volume and testing standards. In a sense, this was to increase the awareness of environmental protection in China's enterprises and accelerate new product technologies. R&D and enhancement of international competitiveness all have a positive effect.

Reporter: So, as you understand, what are the current domestic company test results? How technical capabilities?

Shao Yandong: Due to the company’s business practices, the current test results are not very convenient to disclose. However, according to some data already obtained, we are optimistic about the environmental performance of domestic tires. Although the current situation of Chinese tires with PAHs exceeding standards is still relatively common, companies still have the technical ability to produce environmentally friendly tires.

Reporter: What do you think is difficult for Chinese companies to establish green brands? Any constructive opinions?

Shao Yandong: The difficulty in restricting Chinese tire companies from establishing green brands is "cost control." As we all know, the domestic high-end tires are not many, the price is low, so the cost control is very important. For example, the cost of environmental protection tires is mainly on environmentally friendly oils and rubber. However, at present there is no independent domestic environmental protection oil production technology. Imported oil is generally used, and the price is double that of domestic oils, so the cost will increase by nearly double. For another example, there are few domestically-produced manufacturers of environmentally-friendly reclaimed rubber used in construction tires and truck tires, and the price is high, so it is difficult to meet the need for tire production. In the current situation, I suggest that Chinese tire companies should strengthen their awareness of environmental protection and adopt the international environmental protection standard "rubber. "Aromatic Determination of Oil in Vulcanized Rubber Compounds" (ISO 21461-2006) for internal quality control to accelerate technological innovation.